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DHS's Locatis leaving after only 9 months

The Homeland Security Department is losing a senior cybersecurity official.

Mike Locatis, the assistant secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C), will leave effective Friday, according to an email from Rand Beers, the DHS undersecretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPF), obtained by Federal News Radio.

"Although I am disappointed to see him go, I am happy that his departure will allow him after three years away to return to Colorado, where his family is located," Beers wrote to staff. "I cannot thank him enough for sacrificing his time with loved ones to serve our country."

Locatis came to DHS in April after spending 18 months as the Energy Department's chief information officer.

Beers said Bobbie Stempfley, the deputy assistant secretary for CS&C, will return to the assistant secretary's role in the interim. She served in that capacity after Greg Schaffer left and before Locatis moved over from Energy.

Beers applauded Locatis's contributions to NPPD over the last nine months.

"Since joining CS&C ůMike has presided over a period of immense transition. His leadership was instrumental as we sought to realign CS&C into a structure more capable of agile operations, of forming stronger partnerships, and of efficiently and effectively enhancing the security, resiliency, and reliability of the Nation's cyber and communications infrastructure," Beers wrote. "Mike has also been a leading voice in support of efforts to establish the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network and of [DHS] Secretary [Janet] Napolitano in her tenure as a First Net Board Member. Mike was able to accomplish all this while continuing to support significant cyber and communications activities, including the National Level Exercises and continuous diagnostics and monitoring efforts.

In related news, Jeff Eisensmith took over as the DHS chief information security officer about five weeks ago. Eisensmith was the CISO at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement since August 2011 and the deputy CIO for four years before that.